Our first-hand travel articles take your readers inside exciting destinations around the world.
OUT&TRAVELIN' Travel News Syndicate stories.
These syndicated gay and lesbian travel stories are copywrited and available by subscription from the authors' representative, OUT&Travelin' Travel News Syndicate.
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The articles are approximately 1200 words each but can be edited to meet the requirements of any publication. Photographs and other graphics that illustrated the content of each story are available at no extra cost.
The articles are written in the first-person to take your readers inside the destinations, and are conversational in tone to make them more readable.
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OUT&Travelin' - Top 5 Places To Let It All Hang Out 
By Don Church & Tony Schillaci Photo by Tony Schillaci (c)
If you’re just itching to bare it all this summer, here’s our top 5 list of where gay men and women can let it all hang out around the country.
5. Ogunquit Beach, Maine: GayOgunquit.com reports that, “It's that time of year again! Who will be Mr. Ogunquit 2006? Hot guys, tight trunks, and real displays of masculine virtue. On the beach Sunday afternoon. Sponsored by (Club) Inside Out.” This event is not for homophobics or speedophobics.
The event is held on Ogunquit’s magnificent, three-mile beach. It’s within a short
walk to the town’s three outstanding gay bars – Maine Street Video Bar, Front Porch, and Club InsideOut. The fab three are as different as night and day in style, but not function. The three bars offer food and entertainment, and two also have dancing.
The town is absolutely beautiful and has dozens of great places to eat indoors and out. There are many gay – and gay-friendly inns. We highly recommend Moon Over Maine, Black Boar, and the Ogunquit Beach Inn. For additional fun and games, the area has a summer theater offering Broadway’s best shows and featuring Hollywood and TV stars. For a complete gay travel guide and its special section for women, go to gayogunquit.com
4. Key West, Florida: There’s a whole lot of letting it all hang out here in this sub-tropical gay and lesbian paradise. You can wear a Speedo or bikini just about anywhere at anytime – or not. And the gay bars here have nude dancers.
For accommodations, the best places to let it all hang out is the awesome Island House For Men It was recently named "The best gay men's resort in the world" by BOYZ Magazine. It has the friendliest staff in town helping owners, Jon and Mark run this award-winning resort. It has luxurious rooms, poolside café and bar; and a free happy hour every evening in the poolside café and bar in secluded and lushly landscaped grounds. It also has two Jacuzzis, health club steam room, and a sauna. If you’re an adult male, take a virtual peek inside its Web site at islandhousekeywest.com.
For women-only, there’s the first-rate Pearl’s Rainbow Resort. It won the 2005 Readers' Choice Award for BEST LESBIAN PROPERTY from Out Traveler. It offers guesthouse ambience, bed and breakfast charm, and resort amenities in a collection of five historic, renovated buildings set in a lush tropical landscape in the center of town.
There are 35 rooms and suites, two heated pools, two outdoor hot tubs, and Pearl’s Patio and Grill. Chef Lisa’s breakfast, Sunday brunch and dinners are among the best fare in town. Bar and food service is available to local women as well as guests of guests. It’s also clothing-optional. The owners, Heather and Leslie, have also won just about every innkeeping award in the world for creating what one guest described as a Garden of Eden for women.
For fun, don’t miss the annual WomenFest, September 5 through the 10th in Key West. It’s a lesbian-oriented festival of art shows, sailing and snorkeling, comedy performances and other activities.
For the boys, you can have your own fest night and day at the Island House For Men or any of the other four male-only inns in this still very gay town.
3. Malibu California: If you prefer nudo to Speedo, the California Men Enjoying Naturism (CMEN) is hosting its eighth annual Fall West Coast Gathering August 28 through September 10, 2006, at a first-rate conference center in Malibu’s Santa Monica mountains. It Web site says it’s “secluded from the highway, full of trees, and with great views of the surrounding mountains. It will attract men from throughout North America, the Pacific and Europe.”
You can be all-nude with hundreds of other men for a weekend or the full thirteen days. Packages are from $129 to $495., based on number of nights and the choice of basic to upgraded accommodations. Transportation to and from LAX is $25. For full details and photographs of past gatherings, visit cmen.com.
2. Provincetown, Massachusetts: Carnival Week, a Mardi Gras-like festival, for men and women is August 13th – 19th, 2006.. This year's theme is "Gay Paris!" Does that mean you can get away with wearing only a beret? Probably not. Its still New England.
P-town events throughout the week include parties, dances, dinners, drag bingo and, of course, the very popular Carnival Parade at 3 p. m., Thursday, August 17th. Here you can wear a Speedo or bikini 24/7 and no one will notice. And for a romp on the really wild side, check out the infamous dunes. You can just throw away your itsy-bitsy beachwear and let it all hang out as you roam and romp in this huge northern desert.
For accommodations, restaurants, bars, clubs, and other vital visitor information go to Ptown.org (a gay chamber of commerce) and visitptown.org., six of the town’s most distinctive inns. We highly recommend the Benchmark Inn & Central for its luxurious
features and amenities, including an outdoor-heated pool and a four-season spa and sauna room.
If you plan to go, book as early as possible. P-town is almost always sold out weeks in advance of its many fun and hugely popular events throughout the year.
1. Cape May, New Jersey: According to the Associated Press, “For more than 30 years, this quaint little Victorian-themed resort at the southern tip of New Jersey said no to ‘skintight, formfitting or bikini type’ bathing attire on males over the age of 12.’”
Well, boys, it’s safe to come out of the bath houses because the ban has been repealed.
But, wait, the AP has more good news from the tip of the Jersey shore: "It's a beach town, for God's sake," said Police Chief Diane Sorantino. The town also agreed to lift a rule that stopped bare-chested men from strolling along the beachfront promenade.”
If you go to skin-tight Cape May, check out the Cottage Beside The Point, an inn owned by Joan and Ann. It’s has lovely landscaping, a pond, rooms with a view, and a short walk to the beach.
The inn’s Web site list the owners favorite beaches, restaurants, arts and nature venues; and links that will help visitors to fully enjoy a getaway to Cape May.
For other LGBT-friendly accommodations, go to purpleroofs.com and its links to thirteen
Grand old Victorian-style gems on or near the beach. And remember, if you’re more than 12-years old, you, too, can now wear a Speedo and strut bare-chested on the beaches of Cape May.
There are many other cool places around the country with the right vibe to let it all hang out, but we’re out of space and can’t cover – or uncover – any more this month.
If you have favorite places to let it all hang out – literally or figuratively - e-mail us the unvarnished details.
© Copyright 1999- 2008. OUT&Travelin’ Gay Travel News Syndicate. All rights reserved.
Little Rainbow Address Book ®
www.fla-keys.com Key West
www.gayogunquit.com Speedo paradise
www.ptown.org Provincetown gay guide
www..benchmarkinn.com Provincetown
www.cottagebesidethepoint.com Cape May
www.funmaps.com LGBT Events
www.cmen.info Malibu Nude Men’s event
Photo: Don Church (c)
Tripbusters To The Rescue
By Don Church & Tony Schillaci
Is the sinking dollar drowning your overseas vacation plans?
If so, than it’s time to call on Tripbusters® to rescue your foreign dream vacation, especially in Europe where the Euro costs a dollar thirtysomething and a British
pound is hovering around $2 US.
Free Travel guides and maps
Tourism offices - There is no end to the variety of free travel guides, maps, discount offers, and other invaluable tidbits that are available from foreign tourist offices around the world.
For example, if you’re heading for the
Your local library - Most libraries offer residents free access to computers as well as classes if you’re not computer literate. If you don’t have a library card, get one,
it’s free.
The idea of learning to use a computer is intimidating for most people, but get over it. Learning to compute can save you money on future travels and other big ticket items.
Libraries usually have travel guides. Although most of them will be out of date, they still have useful information. The description of towns, cities, and the countryside will be fairly accurate as well as modes of local transportation, location of the tourist centers, attractions, activities, monuments, and all those other things that make a place a tourist attraction.
World Wide Web - Let your mouse find those official foreign tourist offices that are willing to send you reams of free printed material, including excellent maps. See the “Little Rainbow Address Book”® blow for key Web sites.
Once you’re on an official site, look for the key words ‘Gay & Lesbian.’ or ‘Special Interest.’ Some pages even cover links to ‘leather,’ ‘bears,’ ‘S&M’ and on and on.
The national Web sites that are most likely to offer information about LGBT interests are the
If you’re into Arabs, we suggest you stand on the Rock of Gibraltar and shout across to
Our best recommendations are to visit countries that offer same-sex civil union, marriage or have, at least, decriminalized homosexuality. European Union leaders are strongly advocating LGBT equal – not separate – rights from all its member nations. Go EU.
Local LGBT organizations/groups: Many countries now have local and regional LGBT groups – political and social that welcome visitors to join in activities. This includes AA, every fetish, and community centers similar to those in the
Trains, Planes & Automobiles: To find the lowest airfares, car rentals, and rail tickets, go to the major internet vendors or directly to the airlines, car rentals and RailEurope Web sites for ‘Internet Only’ or ‘best’ fares. When you arrive in a city and plan to stay a while, buy a multi-day ticket for the local transportation system. Have spare passport pictures for the required ID on passes in some countries.
Accommodations:
Hostels – These inexpensive quarters can be found on the Internet and in printed materials. The basic accommodations are usually shared bedrooms and bathrooms, but you can’t beat the price.
House/apartment swapping - There are long-established agencies that specialize in house and apartment swapping. It’s certainly a great way avoid hotel bills, but you need to read all the pros and cons through discussions groups, message boards online, and listings in guide books at your library.
Convents/monasteries - These are usually architecturally and historically some of the most inexpensive (sometimes a donation) and desirable places to stay, even if you’re not religious. But be sure to understand the rules of this game such as curfews and other restrictions that one would expect when becoming a nun- or friar-for-a-day. See the link below for a few monasteries and convents in
Hallelujah! Same-sex couples can share a room in these heavenly religious institutions but not opposite-sex couples - even married ones. Please don’t share this with religious or political extremists. They’ll find a way to end it.
Short-term apartment rentals - There are an infinite number of furnished apartments available for short-term rental, and usually through agencies worldwide. In cities that are popular year ‘round – Paris, London, Rome – you can find a fine studio or one-bedroom for about $100 US a day single or double occupancy for a week and less for longer stays.
Cheap Eats - You can always find great delis, bakeries and other types of prepared foods to go. Eat all meals where you stay or in city squares, parks, museum cafeterias (buy the most inexpensive drink) and spread out your picnic foods. We call them 30-second meals. Rachel Ray would be proud of you, and so would we.
Small villages, towns and cities have plenty of bars, pubs, wine bars, sandwich shops for delicious and inexpensive simple foods when you want to eat out for a change of pace.
Attractions and Activities: Many cities boast of how many of its museums are free, if not all the time, at least a day a week. Use the free maps you get from tourism office to plot out walking tours. Look for free access to fairs, flea markets, and other amusing happenings in the calendar of events section of those free publications that seem to be everywhere in the world. Many of them have discount coupons for restaurants, shops, attractions and activities. In most cities, you’ll find kiosk that sell discounted single and twofers (2 for the price of 1) tickets to the theater, concerts and other pricey venues.
These Tripbusters® tips should help globetrotters with shrinking dollars to still live like a millionaire at least once a year. Who ya gonna call?
© Copyright 1999- 2008. OUT&Travelin’ Gay Travel News Syndicate. All rights reserved
www.google.com - Great travel-related search engine
www.towd.com - Tourism offices worldwide. Official
www.holiday-rentals.com.uk - Vacation apartments throughout
www.hostelz.com hostels worldwide
www.initaly.com/agri/convents.htm Italian monasteries and convents
www.elderhostel.org worldwide senior’s directory
(CTRL + click to follow link for the following Web sites.)
Airline Toll-Free Numbers and Websites Check ‘Internet Only’ fares
ExpediaOrbitzTravelocity Great air & rental car deals
